South Sudan Defence Forces

During the civil war, armed groups proliferated across South Sudan. Many of them were used as proxies by the National Islamic Front (NIF) government, the precursor to the National Congress Party, to fight against the Sudan People's Liberation Army (SPLA) 'rebel' group. This strategy was predominantly used after the 1991 split in the SPLA, which led to multiple intra-Southern conflicts that fed into the overall 'North-South' war. Khartoum successfully exploited ethnic and political divisions, buying loyalty with material goods, arms and ammunition, leading to the formation of dozens of Southern militia groups as part of a successful strategy of 'divide and rule'.

In 1997, seven armed groups signed the Khartoum Peace Agreement with the NIF, thereby forming the largely symbolic South Sudan Defence Force (SSDF) umbrella of government-backed armed militias. Other groups continued to operate outside of the umbrella. As part of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA) signed in 2005, all of these, known as Other Armed Groups (OAGs), were outlawed: they had either to join the SPLA or the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF), or return to civilian life. The Juba Declaration followed in January 2006, which led to more than 30,000 former militia members joining the SPLA. An additional 34,000 joined the Southern police, wildlife, and prison services. Some remained in the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) camp, as part of a bidding war for loyalty between the SAF and the SPLA.

Since the Juba Declaration, integration into the SPLA has been fraught with logistical difficulties and tensions between the former enemies, leading to a bloated force, as well as defections and command and control problems.

Relevant Tables, Maps, and Summaries

• Selected Armed Groups of Concern in South Sudan and the Border Areas, March 2008 (from HSBA Issue Brief 10)
  Map showing locations of former SSDF and OAGs of concern
• Selected Armed Groups Operating in South Sudan/South Kordofan, May 2008 (from HSBA Issue Brief 11)
  Table summarizing key armed groups
• Status of Aligned Other Armed Groups in South Sudan as of April 2007 (from Small Arms Survey 2007)
  Table listing the status of almost 70 armed groups
• Historical Development of the SSDF, November 2006 (from HSBA Working Paper 1)
  Summary of key events in the development of the SSDF
• OAG Areas of Operations as of September 2006 (from HSBA Working Paper 1)
  Map showing areas of SAF- and SPLA-aligned OAGs in South Sudan
• Status of OAGs in South Sudan as of September 2006 (from HSBA Working Paper 1)
  Table of armed group affiliations

Relevant HSBA Publications

• Allies and Defectors: An Update on Armed Group Integration and Proxy Force Activity, HSBA Issue Brief, May 2008 (in Arabic)
• The South Sudan Defence Forces in the Wake of the Juba Declaration, by John Young, November 2006 (in Arabic)
• Armed Groups in Sudan: The South Sudan Defence Forces in the Aftermath of the Juba Declaration, HSBA Issue Brief, October 2006 (in Arabic)